June 23, 2023, 11:50 PM
June 23, 2023, 11:50 PM
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, announced that “anti-terrorist measures” were adopted in the capital after the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, rebelled against the Russian military command.
Meanwhile, authorities from the regions of Rostov and Lipetsk also announced additional measures of security.
Videos circulating on the internet in Russia show armed men surrounding administrative buildings in the southern city of Rostov, with tanks mobilized in the center.
The head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, previously said that his troops had entered through the Rostov region.
“Regarding the information coming from Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken,” Moscow Mayor Sobyanin said on social media.
For his part, the governor of Lipetsk, Igor Artamonov, said he was meeting with members of the FSB security servicewhich opened an investigation into calls for an “armed rebellion.”
Prigozhin accused Moscow on Friday of attacking his forces with missiles and promised to answer.
He urged the Russians to join his forces to punish the military commandin the boldest challenge against President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year.
For his part, the Russian opposition businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky urged the Russians to help the head of the Wagner groupYevgeny Prigozhin, in his rebellion against the military command of Moscow.
“We need to help now and then, if necessary, we will fight too“, Khodorkovsky, a former oil magnate estranged from the Kremlin, expressed on social networks. He affirmed that it is important to support “even the devil” if he decides to take on the Kremlin.
On the other hand, the Russian attorney general, Igor Krasnov informed President Vladimir Putin that he opened “a criminal investigation” against Prigozhin for “armed mutiny,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
He assured that Putin remains “constantly” informed by the security services.
Prigozhin later explained that he did not intend to stage a “coup”but to organize a “march for justice”.
Prigozhin stated in an audio message thate Russian troops “have carried out missile barrages against our rear bases” on the Ukrainian front, and that many of its fighters were killed.
“The command committee of the Wagner group decided that it is necessary to stop to those who have military responsibility in the country,” continued the 62-year-old head of the mercenaries.
The Kremlin launched proceedings against Yevgeny Prigozhin after he accused the Russian army of directing a deadly missile attack on his troops.
